1.7 million for the Human Library program in Norway

After the first Human Library in Denmark in 2000, Norway was the first country to embrace the idea and host an official Human Library in 2002. Since then the concept has expanded drastically and in 2009 it will explode all over Norway. The Human Library program in Norway is coordinated by local organizers from the Norwegian Peoples Aid and with support from a local foundation of 1.7 million Norwegian kronor, 2009 will see a dramatic expansion of the Human Library program on a national level.

Insurance company foundation Gjensidige to support

The estimated 300.000 USD has been allocated by the Gjensidige Foundation, which works to promote safety, prevention and health issues. The foundation is an offspring from a major insurance company in Norway and the sum is provided to ensure a national effort to implement the Human Library along with a variety of activities including a national bus tour and local organizer workshop, similar to the activities underway in the United States, United Kingdom, Denmark and Serbia. The grant will help to promote and implement the methodology in more parts of Norway and help to encourage even more new partners to become local organizers. Norway saw 17 Living Libraries in 2008 in comparison Australia had several hundred events and remains the country in the world with the most highly developed Human Library program.